Reversible ratchet wrench



June 4, 1935.

J. S. DODGE REVERSIBLE RATCHET WRENCH Filed March 30, 1934 Fig.6.

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Uohn 8. Dodge byMWkW Anya.

Patented June 4, 1935 UNITED STAT-ES REVERSIBLE RATCHET WRENCH John S. Dodge, Paxton, Mass assignor to Harry Sinclair, John H. Dodge, both of Worcester,

Mass, andLouis C. Smith, Newton 1Mass., as trustees Center,

I Application March 30, 1934, Serial No. 718,180 c I 20mins. j (01. 81-62) a This invention relates to reversible ratchet wrenches, reversible ratchet sleeve twisters and reversible ratchet tools of this nature.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated it as embodied in a reversible ratchet wrench of the closed end type, but I wish to state that the invention isequal- 1y applicable to open-ended reversible ratchet wrenches and to reversible ratchet sleeve twisters and other similar reversible ratchet tools.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a view of a reversible ratchet wrench embodying my invention, a part of the handle being shown in section, and the coverplate removed;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33, Fig. 1;

Fi 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of the pawl-reversing rock shaft;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the pawl-reversing member;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6 Fig. '1;

Fig. 7 is a view illustrating a different embodimerit of the invention. 7

In somerespects the wrench herein shown is an improvement on the ratchet wrench illustrated in Patent No. 1,177,764 and also in the sleeve twisters shown in Patents No. 1,890,213, December 6, 1932 and No. 1,929,678, October 10, I933.

The wrench herein shown is of that type having a body member I which presents a handle portion 2 and a head portion 3, the latter being provided with a socket receiving recess 4 in which is received the rotary socket member 5. This socket member 5 is provided on its periphery with teeth 6 which'co-operate with pawls' I, 8. The pawls l and8 are oppositely disposed, one pawl being operative for rotating the socket memher in one direction and the other pawl being operative for rotating the socket member in the opposite direction. Each pawl is provided with the cylindrical bearing portion 9 which is received in the correspondingly-shaped recess HI. Each pawl is also acted on by a spring II which tends to throw it into operative engagement with the socket member 5 as usual in ratchet wrenches of this type.

The present invention relates particularly to the means for reversing the pawls, that is, to the means for throwing either pawl into inoperative position out of engagement with the socket member 5.

Extending longitudinally of the handle is a rock shaft I2, the outer end of which is sup ported in a suitable bearing in the end of the handle, and the other end of which extends through and has bearing in an aperture I5 formed in the portion; of the body. 111 one form 5' of the invention the outer end of the handle is closed by a plug I4 which fits a recess formed in the end of the handle with a driving fit and which forms a bearing for the end" l3 of the handle. In another form of the invention the end 0 of the rock shaft l2 has a head 40 secured there to which finds a bearing in the end of the handle and which is provided with a knurled finger piece 4| by which the rock shaft can be turned.

The shaft l2 has fast thereon a pawl-reversing 15 member I! which is received in a recess l8 formed in the portion IE or the'body member. As herein shown the end l9fof the shaft I2 is sector shaped and the pawl-reversing member I! is provided with a similarly-shaped aperture 20 20 into'which the sector-shaped end of the shaft l2 extends. The shaft I2 is also shown as provided with an annular groove 2| which receivesa looking pin 22 carried by the portion l6 of'the body member, said pin serving to hold the shaft from 25 longitudinal movement while allowing itto be turned freely. V

The pawl-engaging member I! is formed with two flat faces 23, 24 which are situated less than apart and in the construction shown inFigs'.

1 and 2 the shaft l 2 is provided with a pin or projection 25 which extends through an opening 26 formed in the coverplate 21 and by which the shaft l2 may be turned. In the-construction shown in Fig. 7 the rock shaft is turned through 3 the medium of the knurled finger piece 41 instead of by means of the pin 25. I f

When the pawl-reversing member "is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the flat face thereof engages theflat face 28 of the-"pawl thereby holding said pawl in its retracted position out of engagement with the socket member 5. When the pawl-engaging member is in this position the other flat face 23 will be sufiiciently removed from the pawl 8 so that said pawl will occupy its operative position in engagement with the socket member 5 as shown in Fig. 1. When the projection 25 is swung to the dotted line position Fig. 3 the pawl-reversing member will en- 50 gage the pawl 8 thereby forcing it in its inoperative position and the same movement will withdraw the pawl-reversing member from engagement with the pawl 1 thereby allowing it to move forwardly into operative position.

the pawl 1 back slightly while the corner 30 byits engagement with the face 28 of the pawl 8 will force said pawl back towards its inoperative position. During the turning movement of the pawl-reversing member the corner 30 will force the pawl 8 back slightly beyond the normallyretracted position shown in Fig. 1 and. as the face 23 of the pawl-engaging member comes into a position parallel to that of the face 28 of the pawl 8, said pawl will move forwardly slightly under the influence of its spring II. This gives a sort of snap action to the operation of the pawl-reversing member so that the operator can easily determine by the feel of the pawl-reversing member when said member is in its proper position.

This construction has the further advantage which has been referred to above, that it serves to yieldingly hold the pawl-reversing member in either of its extreme positions without the use of an extra part for this purpose, such as the spring shown in the patents above referred to. In the construction shown the sector-shaped portion I! of the shaft 12 is non-axially situated with reference to said shaft. This construction has been adopted so that the under surface 3| of the pawl-reversing member will be situated above the bottom 32 of the recess l8.

While I have illustrated the invention asv applied to a ratchet wrench of the closed end type yet it will be obvious that the invention is equally applicable to open-ended reversible ratchet wrenches or to reversible ratchet tools of the sleeve twister type such as shown in the abovementioned Patents No. 1,890,213 and No. 1,929,678.

In the manufacture of sleeve twisters for use in splicing wires of electric transmission lines it is desirable that the, handle should be provided with a coating of insulation. One way of providing such insulation is to dip the handle in an insulating compound while in liquid condition, such dipping providing the handle with the desired coating of insulating material. The construction herein illustrated is admirably adapted for this method of insulating the handle.

. The fact that the bearing member I4 is driven into the end of the handle with a driving fit makes a perfectly tight joint at this point so that the handle can be dipped into the insulating material clear up to the cover plate 21 without any possibility of any of the insulating material getting into the interior of the wrench to interfere in any way with the operation of the parts.

In the above description and in the claims I have used the term socket member as referring either to the closed socket member such as the member 5 herein illustrated or the open or slotted member, such -as is used in the tools of the sleeve twister type illustrated in the above-mentioned patents.

I claim.

1. A reversible ratchet tool having a handle portion, a socket-receiving portion provided with a slot in its side face, a socket member rotatable in the socket-receiving portion, two oppositelydisposed pawls pivotally carried by the socketreceiving 7 portion and co-operating with the socket member, each'pawl having a fiat face, a spring acting on each pawl, a rock shaft extending lengthwise of the handle portion and at right angles to the pawl axes, a pawl-reversing member fast on said rock shaft and having two fiat pawlen gaging faces spaced less than apart, there being one face for each pawl, an arm fast to the rock shaft and extending through said slot for turning the shaft to bring each flat face of the pawl-reversing member into engagement with the flat face of the corresponding pawl, whereby said pawl is held in inoperative position, the pressure of the flat face of the pawl against the flat face of the pawl-reversing member due to the action of the spring serving to yieldingly hold the shaft and pawl-engaging member in its adjusted position.

2. A reversible ratchet tool having a handle portion, a socket-receiving portion, a socket member rotatable in the socket-receiving portion, two oppositely-disposed pawls co-operating with the socket member, a spring for each pawl, each pawl having a flat face, a rock shaft extending longitudinally of the handle, a plug closing the end of the handle and forming a bearing for one end of the rock shaft, said socket-receiving portion having a bearing portion to receive the otherend of the rock shaft, which bearing portion is provided with a recess open at one face of said socket-receiving portion, a pawl-reversing member fast on said rock shaft and occupying said recess, said pawl-reversing member having two fiat pawl-engaging faces spaced less than 180 apart, there being one face for each pawl, a slotted plate removably secured to a side face of said socket member and closing said recess, a projection extending from said shaft through said slot by which the shaft is turned to bring either flat face of the pawl-reversing member into engagement with the fiat face of the corresponding pawl, whereby said pawl is held in its inoperative position.

JOHN S. DODGE. 

